Coolsville Central: Dawn of Justice: Part I
by wsdsrdbw4096
Summary: First Justice League story, and as the title suggests, this story is a reworking of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, though this story is more heavily based on the Superman: TAS 3-part crossover episode World's Finest and tells the story on how Batman and Superman first met in my Coolsville Central series. Please read and review!
1. Nighttime thoughts and origins

**Author's Note: Here's my very first Justice League story, folks!**

 **As the title suggests, this story is a treatment of the 2016 DC Extended Universe film _Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice_ , though this story is more-heavily based on both the Superman: TAS three-part crossover episode _World's Finest_ and MortalAmongGods' story _The World's Finest_.**

 **Anyways, this story functions as my way of depicting Superman and Batman's first encounter with each other in my Dimension One ( _Coolsville Central_ ) series, a series that also contains my modern-day reboot of _Scooby-Doo_.**

 **Long story short, this series basically consists of a shared universe between the world of Hanna-Barbera and the DC Universe with a darker and realistic portrayal of the former.**

 **That being said, I have no intention of writing a _Coolsville Central_ treatment of each DC hero's origin, namely because I'll be sticking with the mainstream, Post-Crisis and pre-New 52 origin stories for those heroes.**

 **Of course, the main difference between this series and the mainstream DC Universe is that I'll be sticking to a specific timeframe for the events of the stories, namely the idea of Superman making his debut in Metropolis in the year 2003, six years after the Dark Knight did so in Gotham City.**

 **I don't own any DC Comics characters. DC Comics, Warner Bros. and Time Warner does.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Nighttime thoughts and origins

 _September 5, 2006_

"You are nothing other than a disgrace, Kal-El." General Zod's voice continued to echo in his mind as Clark Kent tries to get some sleep that night in his Metropolis apartment. "A disgrace to our race! A traitor to the planet Krypton!"

Clark tossed and turned, but the visions of the ruins of Metropolis that resulted from his brutal battle with Zod continued to haunt him, which made it difficult for him to get the sleep he needs.

"You don't deserve to call yourself a Kryptonian, Kal-El!" Zod's voice echoed. "Kal-El, son of Jor-El. A weakling just like those pathetic inhabitants of this planet Earth!"

Zod's voice continued to echo in his mind until Clark couldn't take it anymore.

He flung his blanket off, hopped off his bed and made his way to the washroom, where he turned on the lights and walked to the sink.

As he splashed water in his face, Clark looked at his reflection on the mirror as his memories began to replay in his mind.

Since he finished his university studies and settled into Metropolis two years ago, becoming a reporter for the _Daily Planet_ , life in Metropolis has been filled with surprises and unexpected adventures.

His Kryptonian heritage resulted in him possessing powers no ordinary living being on Earth has, such as flight, x-ray vision (Though lead can block it), heat vision, near-invulnerability, super strength, super speed and super hearing.

As Clark Kent began settling in Metropolis, Delaware, a new vigilante known as the "Blur", due to his super speed and his ability to avoid getting captured on camera, began appearing in the City of Tomorrow helping the police take down criminals.

A chance rescue of a doomed flight hijacked by terrorists determined to repeat the September 11 attacks resulted in a clear photo of him getting captured, and it was then that a certain Daily Planet reporter named Lois Lane coined the term "Superman" after noting the giant "S" on his outfit.

Over time, Superman came to adapt to his celebrity status in the city and became more acquainted with officials, which includes Metropolis Police Commissioner David Corporon, who came to regard his help as useful and has at times contacted him directly or indirectly through Captain Dan Turpin of the Major Crimes Unit and Deputy Inspector William Henderson of the Detective Bureau for assistance.

As Superman's work receives increased attention from the press and citizens, he has gradually became a popular figure in the City of Tomorrow with many boys looking up to him as a role model.

However, all of this affection and trust towards him was overshadowed by the terrorist attack he foiled that led to his receiving the mokier "Superman" from the press.

The captured terrorists were found to be private military intelligence operatives, who, following a series of questionings, revealed that it was meant to be a false flag attack to justify further military action in Kaznia.

The trail in the investigations eventually led Clark Kent to LexCorp, whose owner was none other than the charismatic, highly-intelligent billionaire Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor, who is also one of the most-powerful figures in the City of Tomorrow.

With humble beginnings, Luthor founded LexCorp in 1984 with aid from the insurance policy of his late father Lionel, who was an alcoholic and have beaten the young Lex on a frequent basis before his succumbing to heart failure when Lex was in his early-teens.

His genius in engineering, entrepreneurship and business management enabled him to transform LexCorp from a small mechanical engineering firm into a giant corporation that became Metropolis' largest employer in the private sector within a period of five years.

By the end of the 1990s, LexCorp has expanded overseas with offices in Toronto, Montreal, London, Paris, Sydney, Berlin, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Auckland, and its portfolios has diversified with technological and weapons research and development, engineering, construction and real estate management among the major field of operations.

It was also during this time that Lex Luthor has established a number of charities under his name and has used his philanthropy to donate to a number of causes.

However, as Clark Kent and Lois Lane later found, behind the facade of a charismatic Lex Luthor was a power-hungry man who viewed Metropolis as the centre of his empire with the thirst for more wealth and power.

While investigating the terrorist attack foiled by Superman, both journalists discovered photos of Luthor meeting with someone in the U.S. Army that had supplied the terrorists the weapons they needed to carry out the attack.

The man that supplied the weapons to the terrorists was none other than U.S. Army First Sergeant John Corben, who is the quartermaster of the Second Army Advanced Technology Division based in Fort Siegal, which is the garrison of the U.S. Advanced Forces and Material Command and located in the outskirts of Metropolis.

Their investigations eventually led them into a collision course with Corben, who admitted to not being satisfied by the ceasefire brokered by the U.S. between Serbia and Kaznia and suggested that the U.S. should be teaching Kaznia a lesson the same way the country is teaching Iraq a lesson following the 2003 invasion.

The whole case led to Superman and Lois Lane becoming convinced that Luthor arranged the attacks in order to be able to sell more arms, especially since the ceasefire that ended the conflict in Kaznia and Serbia led to the U.S. Army cancelling a major weapons order from LexCorp.

Of course, the idea was mere speculation on their parts, and even after Clark confronted Luthor as Superman following his defeat of Corben, they were unable to find concrete evidence that Luthor was involved in the failed terrorist attack.

This very first case will eventually clear the way for more conflicts between the Man of Steel and Luthor in the months that followed.

As the months went by, in addition to his on-and-off conflicts with Luthor, Superman began encountering a number of rogues such as Toyman, Parasite, a vengeful John Corben (Who used his Special Forces training to his tactical advantage and has been a handful for Superman, who always ends up finding a way to turn the tables against the disgraced former first sergeant) and Livewire.

However, none of these rogues have the capability of throwing his life in Metropolis into turmoil compared to a certain trio who had managed to survive the destruction of his home world Krypton.

That trio was none other than the trio of Kryptonian war criminals consisting of General Zod, Non and Ursa, who together with the residents of the Phantom Zone, represented the worst of the worst of Kryptonians.

At the height of his career, Zod was the supreme commander of Krypton's military forces with Non and Ursa as his chief lieutenants.

His brilliancy in military tactics and exploits in defending the planet from its enemies earned him the trust of the Science Council, who subsequently appointed him as the chief of staff of the military forces after he successfully rallied the troops in repelling a powerful invasion force.

However, as the years went by and following a series of crisis, Krypton began to experience a decline with the people living under an environment of paranoid and fear, a decline which the supreme commander of the military forces attributes to the Science Council becoming too weak, inefficient and tied up in layers of bureaucracy.

Believing that drastic action needs to be taken in order to reverse the decline and make Krypton great again, Zod, Non and Ursa began their plot to overthrow the Science Council and impose their style of rule over the planet.

The trio met frequently to go over plans, gaining the support from some sympathetic to the cause in the process.

Reviewing the plans over and over again, the trio were confident that their plan can hatch flawlessly and nothing can go wrong.

Unfortunately for them, even the best-laid plans can end up of mice and men, which is exactly what happened with Zod's attempted coup to overthrow the Science Council.

The coup attempt was stopped by a young scientist, who managed to gather a militia of troops loyal to the council and fought back, after getting tipped off by someone with knowledge of Zod's plot, and the coup plotters were summarily arrested and placed on trial for the insurrection.

The scientist's testimony led to the jury of the planet's high court finding the defendants guilty of treason, whereupon the plotters were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Phantom Zone.

The young scientist who not only stopped the coup but also delivered crucial testimony in court that led to Zod and his minions' getting sentenced to life imprisonment in the Phantom Zone: Jor-El, the father of Kal-El.

The days spent in the Phantom Zone hardened Zod's hatred towards the House of El, and prior to getting projected into the Phantom Zone, Zod warned Jor-El, who was among the people sent to witness the projection, that he will find a way to seek revenge on those that wronged him.

"Mark my words, Jor-El." Zod warned the young scientist, who appeared unnerved by his words, as he come face-to-face with him. "I will find my way out and when I do, you'll be the first to kneel before me!"

"Sure, Zod." Jor-El rolled his eyes in response. "I'm sure it'll happen sometime."

Anyways, long story short, not long after the coup plotters were sentenced to the Phantom Zone, Jor-El's research lead him to evidence that determined that not only man-controlled weather systems were having an adverse effect on the planet's climate, but also long-time fracking sanctioned by the Science Council was the leading cause of the frequent earthquakes that has rattled the planet for the past several months.

And the evidence lead him to a conclusion: Krypton is doomed to blow up into bits in the next 48 hours.

Jor-El's warnings on his findings fell onto deaf ears on the Science Council, and members of the council were further displeased by his plan to project everyone into the Phantom Zone and then have everyone released onto a suitable planet.

Truth be told, Jor-El was never thought of lightly in Krypton's scientific community. Many found him to be arrogant and could never be wrong.

In fact, his own father-in-law Sul-Van has once said that his ego was the size of Argos when Jor-El told him of his findings on the cause of the earthquakes and the severe climate change, warning him that unless the planet's supercomputer Brainiac sides with him on the issue, Jor-El can consider his career to be over.

As things turned out, after the Council turned to Brainiac for his opinion on Jor-El's findings, the supercomputer dismissed the findings and added that the earthquakes were only a sign of the planet undergoing a temporary orbital shift.

Jor-El will eventually found that Brainiac deliberately lied to the Council in order to give himself enough time to download himself onto a satellite before making his escape, and he took advantage of Jor-El's hesitation to destroy him to call in security, forcing the scientist to flee.

After managing to arrive home, Jor-El turned to his backup plan, where he will launch a small spaceship containing his baby son Kal-El, though with the police hot on his trail, Jor-El knew that he will have to do something to distract them while his wife Lana launches the spaceship, even though it'll take a longer time for her to do so as she isn't as skilled in launching space vehicles like her husband.

Fortunately for them, while Jor-El was gone testifying at the Science Council, Sul-Van took the time to go over his research and ultimately became convinced that his theory on Krypton's immediate doom was sound.

However, by that point, the explosion was imminent and with Jor-El wanted by police, they have little time left to execute Jor-El's backup plan to save Kal-El.

In a show of faith, Sul-Van volunteered to distract the police so Jor-El and Lana can do their work in launching the spaceship containing Kal-El.

Kal-El's spaceship will eventually launch into space moments before one final earthquake led to the entire planet blowing up into pieces, and after travelling through a wormhole in warp speed, the spaceship eventually landed in the outskirts of Smallville, Kansas on June 18, 1978.

The baby was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who eventually adopted the baby as their son and named him Clark.

As the years went by, Clark began to develop some strange superhuman powers, and it was following his rescue of a family from a burning house and emerging unscratched from the flames during his sophomore year in high school that led to his parents tell him the true story behind his adoption.

With his parents showcasing the spaceship he was found in, Clark soon learned of his Kryptonian heritage and the reason behind the strange superhuman powers he has developed over the years.

However, the revelation was overwhelming for Clark, who furiously ran off before managing to calm down when he discovered his flight abilities.

Graduating from Smallville High School in 1996, Clark attended Kansas State University in Manhattan and obtained his bachelors degree in journalism four years later.

His experience editing the university newspaper and interning at various newspaper publication companies came in handy when he arrived in Metropolis a year after completing his masters degree in the subject, where his news articles have gained the attention of a certain Perry White, the editor-in-chief of the City of Tomorrow's largest newspaper company _The Daily Planet_.

Anyways, two years after Clark settled in Metropolis and began fighting crime as Superman, the testing of a powerful hydrogen bomb by China led to the weakening of the separation between the dimension of the main universe and the Phantom Zone.

The result of the weakening of the separation was that the inmates of the prison dimension were freed, and the first thing General Zod and his minions did was to seek vengeance on the man responsible for their imprisonment.

One thing to note was that with their imprisonment in the Phantom Zone, the inmates are rendered into a phantom-like state that enables them to observe, but not interact with, elements in the dimension of the main universe.

It was through that state that enabled General Zod to learn that Krypton was destroyed and survive that destruction.

Anyways, the escaped prisoners soon found themselves developing superhuman powers as a result of their exposure to the Earth's yellow sun, and seeing the Earth as a suitable planet of what remained of life from Krypton, Zod and company began their plan to colonize the planet.

Scouts were dispatched to the planet, where the ones dispatched to Metropolis reported that the City of Tomorrow is being protected by the Man of Steel.

In further observations, Zod and company recognized the "S" shield on Superman's chest. It was the crest of the House of El, which also meant that the Superman protecting Metropolis is the son of their jailer - Jor-El.

What followed was Zod coming to Superman, presenting himself as an ally and hoped that he will join his cause to rebuild Krypton.

However, Superman, upon consulting an orb containing all information on Krypton, which he obtained following his first defeat of Brainiac when he learned that the supercomputer was responsible for tarnishing his father's name, learned of Zod's tanglement with his father Jor-El and came to denounce Zod's cause to rebuild Krypton by colonizing Earth.

What followed was a major confrontation between Superman and Zod's army of exiled Kryptonians that escalated into a giant battle that involved troops from the Delaware National Guard, the Army 12th Division and the 7th Marine Division from Fort Siegal, a giant battle that came to be known as the Battle of Metropolis.

The battle consisting of dozens of super-powered Kryptonians facing off with the Man of Steel resulted on collateral damage to the city's infrastructure, not to mention the thousands of lives lost as the city's Central Business District was completely demolished in the battle.

Of all the days for Hurricane Katrina to strike and devastate New Orleans in the summer of 2005, it has to strike the Gulf Coast that late August in the same time as the Battle of Metropolis winds up.

Superman eventually succeeded in banishing the invaders back to the Phantom Zone, but his victory wasn't without any price attached.

For one thing: Disaster relief was a disaster itself. Metropolis City Hall and the White House in Washington D.C. were both caught flat-footed by the devastation caused by the Battle of Metropolis, and for the latter, it all came down as the administration faced severe criticism for its response to the aftermath of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

In fact, the summer of 2005 will eventually gain the name "Summer of the Double Storms", namely because of the devastation in Metropolis from the Kryptonian invasion and the devastation of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars worth in damage, all of which occurred in a single summer.

However, the victory itself has taken a toll on the Man of Steel himself.

His interactions with Zod and the Kryptonian prisoners drove him to harbour strong doubts about himself.

Was he supposed to be helping his people, the Kryptonians, in rebuilding their home, their society and live normal lives on the planet Earth, or was he supposed to help defend his adoptive home from the people that came from his destroyed home world.

Torn between the two worlds, Clark Kent even found himself having to take a leave of absence from the _Daily Planet_ under the cover story of getting caught in the crossfire in the Battle of Metropolis, was subsequently diagnosed for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result, and return to Smallville to clear his mind.

The Battle of Metropolis also helped Lex Luthor reinforce his suspicions towards the Man of Steel, considering him an alien who harbours a sinister agenda that includes the destruction of the planet Earth as its inhabitants know it.

Superman also became a controversial figure following the Battle, and views of him became polarized.

One camp consider him as a hero and are sympathetic towards the dilemma faced by the Man of Steel, reasoning that even with his powers and responsibilities, he is still human and can find himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The other camp supports Luthor's growing suspicion towards Superman, viewing him as the very reason those Kryptonians decided to invade Earth in the first place, even helping the invaders with their plans to colonize the planet and that the only reason why the invaders were repelled was due to the timed arrival of troops and Superman's last-minute decision to switch sides, a decision that was viewed by the camp as too little too late.

And that's how, one year after the Battle of Metropolis, in spite of returning to his normal life as Clark Kent, Superman still find himself having troubling memories of the battle and Zod's taunts in their fight.

Clark sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror for one more time before turning off the bathroom lights and returned to his bed.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	2. The arrival and a nighttime patrol

Chapter 2: The arrival and a nighttime patrol

 _September 6, 2006_

The next morning, Clark arrived at work at the Daily Planet at the usual time.

The office was pretty much empty and the first thing he did after he arrived at his cubicle was to head straight for the break room, where he picked up his mug and prepared himself a cup of coffee.

When he returned to his cubicle, Clark spotted Lois arriving at her cubicle, and as fast as he can in _human_ speed, he quickly ducked behind the movable walls separating the cubicles, hoping that Lois doesn't spot him.

However, he then remembered that he had his suit jacket hung on the edge of the wall and that it was a clear indication to Lois that he had already arrived at work.

Sure enough, the moment he sat down on his seat, Lois turned around and walked towards him.

"You look glum, Smallville." She said as she looked at him in concern. "Didn't get much sleep last night?"

"We all have sleepless nights, Lois. Not much of a-" Clark looked up as he tried to smile, only to give up on his efforts when he noted the frown on Lois' face before pausing in mid sentence and then sighed. "Well, what can I say? _He_ keeps returning."

"So I've seen." Lois frowned as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You really need to stop blaming yourself for the death and destruction caused by your battle with Zod, Clark. You did what you've could, and things would've been much worse had Zod succeeded."

"It's not just that." Clark frowned as he waited for his computer to boot up. "All of this came down as Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and had Zod not showed up when he did, I could've saved those lives devastated by the hurricane, not to mention-"

"The hurricane was something you couldn't control, nor was China's testing of the hydrogen bomb that indirectly resulted in those Kryptonian prisoners escaping from the Phantom Zone, Clark." Lois reminded him. "Those factors were outside what you could control, Clark. You did what you've could."

"Yeah, tell that to the people that were hurt and the lives I could've saved." Clark rolled his eyes.

"Look." Lois sighed as she entered his cubicle and looked straight at him in the eye. "We're all human, Clark. Nobody's perfect. We're capable of making mistakes, and there are moments where we can find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. I guess the reason why you've faced that criticism is because you've set a high standard with your work."

"I guess so." Clark nodded thoughtfully.

"But anyways, I digress." Lois said as she smiled. "We can't spend all day moping over something we can't control, so let's get back to work, and unless I'm mistaken, Perry had assigned us to cover the big fish today."

"Big fish?" Clark raised an eyebrow.

"Bruce Wayne, in case you've forgotten, Smallville." Lois said. "He's arriving at town today for his business meeting with LexCorp."

Clark almost groaned out loud as Lois continued. It was bad enough that Luthor has been taking advantage of his press appearances to remind the folks that Superman was part of the very race that destroyed the entire central business district of Metropolis, not to mention he never did anything about the post-disaster recovery assistance in Katrina-devastated New Orleans.

He shook his head, not wanting a spoiled playboy from Gotham City to remind him of those daunting facts.

"...so you're going to cover Mr. Wayne the moment he steps out of his hotel room, Clark. Does that work with you?" Lois asked as she raised her voice.

"Huh?" Clark asked, not sure if his super hearing was deceiving him. "What was that again, Lois?"

"I was saying you're going to be interviewing him, Smallville." Lois sighed. "Does that work with you?"

Clark blinked. Normally, Lois, who's quite tough as nails, would never pass on an opportunity as big as interviewing the owner of the largest employer of Gotham City in the private sector.

But here she is, standing at the entrance to his cubicle, giving him the opportunity to do just that.

And interviewing a playboy was something Clark felt was too much for him to handle alone.

"You bet." He finally replied with a smirk forming on his face.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the outskirts of the city's central business district, Bruce Wayne was riding his limousine as it drove down the elevated expressway.

Taking the time to observe his surroundings and the nearby streets, Bruce sighed.

It has been 25 years since his family made the fateful decision to go to the movie theater near Park Row, Gotham, to watch _The Mark of Zorro_ starring Tyrone Power.

While June 26th, 1981 was considered to be the happiest day of the nine-year old's life, it was also the day that changed his life forever.

It happened after they finished watching the movie and were on their way home when the family decided to take a shortcut through Park Row, which was where they made a fateful encounter with a mugger.

The mugger, driven by the sight of the pearls Bruce's mother Martha was wearing, drew his weapon and ordered the family to pay up.

His father Thomas was the one that stepped forward first, making clear of his intent to stop the thug from threatening his wife, and it was Thomas who ended up taking a bullet from the thug when he opened fire.

Bruce remembered watching his father go down as if it happened yesterday, the scene frequently playing in the back of his mind like a movie.

His mother Martha was the next to take the hit, and Bruce will never forget his father's last words as he drew in his dying breath.

"Martha..." Thomas' words will continue to haunt Bruce in his mind for the years that followed that fateful night.

Bruce was certain that he was going to be next, but the thug chickened out at the sight of a crying boy and the anger and grief that engulfed his eyes.

Then, the sound of a police siren was all it took to convince the mugger to scram when he still can.

June 26th, 1981 wasn't just the day Thomas and Martha Wayne died. The fun-loving side and innocence in Bruce Wayne died with his parents that fateful night.

Bruce sighed as he looked out the car window, observing the streets and buildings that passed by him by the second.

Metropolis always gives him the chills, even when he was a child.

The streets were a whole lot cleaner than Gotham's, the buildings looked nowhere as sketchy as in Gotham and the mood was lighter.

The sight of the streets of Metropolis was a constant reminder of his mission, a mission he has adopted following the untimely demise of his parents.

A mission that he will fight the very crime and evil that has claimed the lives of his parents, clean up the streets of Gotham and make the city a safe place for its citizens so no one else will have to go through what he had went through as an orphan.

He knew that not everyone in Gotham is fortunate to have the wealth and connections the Wayne family does, and he knew that not everyone in Gotham has the privilege to have someone like Alfred Pennyworth to look after in the absence of the parents.

Alfred has been in the service of the Wayne family for years. A former Royal Air Force flight lieutenant and agent of MI6, Alfred moved across the Atlantic to follow his father's footsteps of servicing the Waynes, as his father had done before him.

It was Alfred that came to become a second father to Bruce, and it was his loyal butler that accompanied Bruce as he travelled overseas in the years that followed his parents' death to take part in crucial training that prepares him for his mission.

After getting trained in various subjects, such as martial arts and sword-fighting by Master Yoru in Japan and man-tracking by the world-renowned man hunter Henri Ducard in Fance, in addition to excelling in the fields of psychology, chemistry and criminology, Bruce eventually returned to Gotham City in 1997, ready to take on his mission in fighting the very evil that claimed the lives of his parents.

His first patrol, which was done in disguise, ended in disaster when the streets fought back in spite of his best efforts.

It was the smashing of a bat into the living room that night that led Bruce to recall how bats used to scare the wits out of him when he was a young boy, and it was then that he realized that, in order to strike terror in the hearts of Gotham's criminal underworld, he shall "become a Bat!"

Weeks later, Gotham began to be buzzed with reports of a giant bat-like figure prowling the streets and the police, who together with most of City Hall were in the pockets of the city's organized crime families, was given the orders to capture the man that the press has dubbed as "Batman".

However, Batman soon find himself an ally in his crusade against crime in the form of Lieutenant James Gordon, who was transferred in from Chicago around the same time Bruce Wayne returned from his overseas trips.

It was through the combined efforts of Batman, Gordon and then-Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent that led to the shattering of organized crime in the city.

It was also during this time that a series of costumed criminals, inspired by Batman's outfit, began filling the vacuum left behind by the crime families in the city's underworld.

By the turn of the century, Gotham was no longer under the control of organized crime families. Instead, it has attracted an infamous reputation for its costumed criminals running loose in its streets.

The most infamous of them was a clown-like criminal dubbed as the "Joker", who was captured following his failed attempt to poison the city's water reservoir.

In the same time, following the sabotage of a circus flying act by the world-famous Flying Graysons, a sabotage that led to the deaths of the adult performers, Batman began training a new partner who assisted him in his crusade in fighting crime, a partner who came to be given the name "Robin".

Anyways, in spite of his continued efforts to fight crime, Bruce narrowed his eyes as he looked around the streets of Metropolis.

The central business district of the city still looked like a war zone, but even then, the streets and buildings in the nearby area are nowhere as sketchy as they are back in Gotham.

It was a reminder that his vigilante efforts in Gotham has not been making as much of a difference in Gotham's exteriors as he had hoped, even as his ally Gordon has been installed as police commissioner three years back and has begun work in cleaning up the police department.

It was then that the limo began slowing down as it exited the elevated expressway and turned onto a major avenue in the heart of the city, which reminded him that they're about to reach their destination: The Christopher Reeve International Hotel.

The moment Alfred opened his door, the cameras on both sides of the red carpet that was rolled out for him began clicking as Bruce began to step out of the limo.

* * *

Over at the crowd of reporters at the red carpet entrance to the Christopher Reeve International Hotel, Clark and Lois looked on as the limo carrying Bruce Wayne pulled into the entrance driveway.

"I gathered that Wayne's deal with LexCorp is going into the billions." Clark remarked to Lois as they prepared their notebooks and pens.

"Well, I've gathered that he's nothing other than Gotham trash we see." Lois said.

"Excuse me?" Clark raised an eyebrow.

"From what I've heard, he's just like the typical rich trash that Wall Street is made up of. Orphaned at a young age, travelling around the world and now playboying, which I'm certain is squandering away his parents' fortunes." Lois turned to him. "Don't get me wrong, Smallville. It's nothing personal, but with those attributes associated with Mr. Wayne, it's hard not to think of him as being reckless, arrogant, spoiled, and..."

As Lois made the remark, Alfred opened the door and Bruce stepped out, during which the cameras began clicking and flashing and Lois turned towards the limo, revealing a handsome middle-aged man wearing a dark business suit, slightly-gelled short black hair and warm blue eyes radiating confidence.

"...utterly gorgeous!" Lois finished and Clark turned to follow her gaze.

Eying Bruce walking towards the hotel entrance, Clark can sense the man's confidence, even from a distance.

And in spite of spotting Lois' wide-eyed reaction in seeing the Gotham-based billionaire, Clark has to admit that Bruce certainly looked handsome.

His initial worries of Bruce being a Kryptonian-hater like Luthor were allayed subsequently in their interview, when he noted that Bruce has answered all of his questions with warmth, respect and kindness, even treating him as an equal in spite of his position as being the largest employer in the private sector in Gotham.

That being said, through his super senses, Clark has also gotten the feeling on whether Bruce's kindness or even his reputation as a playboy were simply an act.

Noticing the furtive glances Lois shot at Bruce and his willingness to return them, Clark felt a slight annoyance, which he wasn't sure if it was from him feeling slightly jealous of Bruce or is it from his feeling that Bruce's playboy reputation was simply an act.

Clark simply shrugged and let those feelings rolled off him as he and Lois bid Bruce a nice day, wishing him well in enjoying his stay in Metropolis.

* * *

That night, Batman had swung his way onto the rooftop of a warehouse in the Docklands.

His business meeting with LexCorp, as Bruce Wayne, came just as he had discovered a crucial piece of the puzzle to a case he was working on this past several days, a case that came as a series of bizarre deaths struck Gotham City.

There was not much connecting the victims of these bizarre deaths, as they all do not know each other. However, each of these deaths have a few things in common.

First off, the nature of their deaths was bizarre in that it involved strange gadgets improvised into deadly weapons.

Gadgets such as a display of shiny pearls that turned out to be a bomb that goes off when touched, a diamond vase that discharges corrosive acid and a giant statue on display that turned out to be a flamethrower in disguise.

Second, at the scene of each of these bizarre deaths, there is always something valuable stolen. Valuables such as rare, antique jewels, paintings and most-importantly, diamonds.

And third, the claw of a magpie was always found in the scene of the crime.

All of these clues led to Batman conclude that the killings were, in fact, related, though the identity of the culprit remains unknown.

His investigations in the past few days eventually led to his discovery of the crucial piece to the case, which in turn led to his travelling to Metropolis under the pretense of Bruce Wayne having a business meeting with LexCorp.

That crucial piece of the puzzle was that of a piece of fabric found at the latest crime scene, which was discovered to be tainted with low-level radiation emitted from one particular material that happens to be very hazardous to Kryptonians when in close contact.

The material in question is none other than Kryptonite.

And that's how Batman came to be on the rooftop of a warehouse in the Docklands of Metropolis, keeping watch over the group of warehouses that very night.

For a while, nothing out of the ordinary in the warehouses caught his attention, and Batman was wondering if he was mistaken in his deduction.

The moment he made that thought, he quickly shook it aside with the shake of a head.

He was almost caught off-guard by a faint light that entered the warehouse area, and Batman almost groaned internally.

Taking a closer look through his binoculars, Batman then noticed two men in the cab and that the tow truck, which was not towing anything, was stopping by the side of an empty warehouse.

His eyes narrowed before he proceeded to leap down towards the empty tow truck, stealthily making a silent landing behind the cab of the truck.

Then, blending into the surrounding darkness, Batman proceeded to shadow the two unsuspecting men as they made their way into the empty warehouse.

* * *

Blocks away, back in downtown Metropolis, it was beyond bedtime for Clark, but there he is flying around the downtown area as Superman in his daily nighttime patrols around the City of Tomorrow.

The night was quiet and mostly uneventful like most nights, and Clark was getting bored after a while.

It seems like many of the criminals and superpowered villains have no intention in giving up their bedtime and go through a couple of rounds with the Man of Steel, probably due to the massive devastation from his battle with Zod and his army last year.

Superman shrugged at himself and as he flew around, he contemplated calling it a night and head back to his apartment for his sleep.

Just as he was about to make the turn, an alarm went off in the distance.

Through his super hearing, Clark pinpointed the source of the alarm to be from the Docklands, then he turned his head and used his telescopic vision to pinpoint where exactly the alarm went off at.

He groaned when he spotted the source of trouble: A LexCorp warehouse.

Flying over and breaking into the place in a matter of seconds, Superman scanned the area through the use of his x-ray vision. It didn't take long for him to notice the trail of unconscious bodies laying around the area.

His x-ray vision soon picked up a man pinning another man on the wall, and it was the outline of the shape of the first man that alerted him.

"Batman." Clark growled.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	3. The encounter

Chapter 3: The encounter

Batman wasted no time smashing his way through the vacant warehouse and knocking a few men out, eventually reaching his target.

"It's been a long while, Bull." The Bat growled as he cornered his target. "We need to talk."

Bull swallowed as he find himself face-to-face with the Caped Crusader, and the moment he motioned to flee, Batman immediately drew out his arm and grabbed him by the collar.

Slamming Bull into the wall behind them, Batman then leaned forward as his hands reached closer to Bull's throat.

"Where's your boss?" He growled. "What is her endgame?"

"Who knows, maybe the boss is planning to open a new bird house." Bull said jokingly.

Narrowing his eyes and not satisfied with the answer, Batman tightened his grip on the man.

"I won't ask twice." He growled as Bull was on the verge of choking. "Where is your boss?"

"I don't know, honest!" Bull choked. "I never got in touch with her after I got out of Blackgate. Didn't want to take orders for that unreasonable witch ever again once I got out!"

Before Batman could press on, a hand suddenly reached over and grabbed his arm.

"That's enough." Superman said as he grabbed Batman in the arm. "I think you've gotten your answer."

However, nothing in the creation of mankind could prepare Clark for what happened next.

Without warning, Batman grabbed Superman by the arm and threw the Man of Steel towards the nearby wall, catching Clark completely by surprise.

Clark looked on astonishingly as Batman resumed his questioning on Bull.

"This is your last chance." He growled as he narrowed his eyes at the gangster. "Where is she?"

Bull swallowed, realizing that he should've sneaked away during the distraction, and Batman onlyth further narrowed his eyes.

"Uh...honestly...Batman..." Bull stuttered. "Do you really think I'd risk getting hauled back to Blackgate by getting anywhere near that witch?"

Batman glared intensively at the gangster.

"Wrong answer." The Dark Knight growled. "You know how much I hate it when scum like you waste my time."

As the Caped Crusader was speaking, Bull managed to reached his hand towards a nearby discarded wrench.

In a desperate attempt to turn the tables against the Dark Knight and make his getaway, Bull swiftly swung the wrench towards the vigilante.

However, Batman managed to anticipate the move and grabbed the wrench with his hands, and he swung the wrench around, lifting Bull, who hadn't had a chance to let go of the tool, and throwing him towards a nearby wall.

As the gangster sailed through the air and landed at the wall, Batman grunted as he walked towards him, only for Superman to suddenly ram right into the Batman.

The ram led to Batman crashing into another wall, and Superman wasted no time walking towards the vigilante.

Watching the Man of Steel walking towards the Dark Knight, Bull quickly took the opportunity to make his getaway.

With the gangster out of earshot, Superman glared at Batman. "I heard you were crazy, but I didn't think that you would be stupid."

In spite of facing someone who's arguably one of the most powerful men walking the face of the planet, Batman remained undaunted.

"Coming from someone who was summoned to Capitol Hill to testify at the Senate Superhuman Activities Study Select Committee in the aftermath of failing to live up to his assurances of being able to go wherever disaster struck." Batman responded evenly. "So much for his reputation of being a Boy Scout."

Clark only narrowed his eyes at the remark, during which he activated his x-ray vision as he glared at the Dark Knight.

At the sight of the man behind the cape and cowl, Superman widened his eyes in surprise.

"Bruce Wayne?" He whispered in surprise.

"You peeked." Batman responded with a glare of his own.

"Your brand of vigilantism won't be necessary in my town." Superman said sternly.

With his hand swiftly reaching into one of his utility belt pockets, Batman replied, "You will be rid of me, as soon as I get to the bottom of the string of attacks that has struck Gotham City."

"That isn't good enough." Superman shook his head. "And how does Metropolis tie into your mess in Gotham?"

Without a word, Batman flipped out a small evidence bag containing a sample of the cloth that he had found in the latest crime scene and tossed it towards the Man of Steel.

Superman looked on astonishing as the evidence bag containing the cloth landed on his shoulder, then he turned towards Batman.

"That's it?" He asked as if Batman had lost his mind. "I never thought you'd be this crazy. Going through all the trouble of getting here to Metropolis - all because of this cloth?"

In spite of the questioning look on Superman's face, Batman continued to stood at his spot with the usual glare from his eyes.

Clark was about to think of something when he started to feel itchy on his shoulder.

"Oh..." He grumbled as he started quickly took the evidence bag off his shoulder as if he was in the process of getting stung by poison ivy. "What in the-?"

"It doesn't take much, does it?" Batman asked as Superman began to scratch on his shoulder, right at where the evidence bag containing the cloth had landed earlier. "That cloth came into contact with a substance that emits low levels of radiation and happens to be extremely hazardous for a certain human-like race."

With a stern expression on his face, the Dark Knight continued, "Whoever was behind the mess in Gotham had twenty pounds more of that substance that can hurt you. I'd thought that you'd like to know."

As the Batman was speaking, Superman turned his head towards his left shoulder and used his freezing breath on it, allowing him to sooth the pain he felt from the close contact with the contaminated cloth.

Looking through his uniform, Clark saw his left shoulder blistering red, as if he had came into close contact with poison ivy while on a hike in the wild.

The Man of Steel then turned back towards where Batman was standing at, only to find that the Caped Crusader was nowhere to be seen.

With an astonished look on his face, Clark looked around, though he found the Dark Knight nowhere to be seen in the warehouse.

* * *

 _September 7, 2006_

Words couldn't describe the surprise Clark felt when he peeked through the Batman's mask. Of all the people that had to be the vigilante that terrorizes Gotham's underworld, it just had to be the multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne.

It turned out that his instincts about Bruce Wayne earlier that day may be accurate, the part regarding how he felt that Bruce's kindness and playboy reputation were simply an act.

Even so, Clark can't exactly wrap his head around what could've propelled Bruce Wayne to don the cape and cowl and crash Gotham's underworld.

He knew for a fact that the Gotham City Police Department wasn't exactly an institution of integrity and transparency, unlike the Metropolis Police Department, who has largely been successful in doing its work in serving the public while leaving the larger threats posed by super-powered beings to him while providing backup.

He debated on whether or not he should try to track down the Dark Knight, but after what he had been through the past several days, Clark figured that he'd rather not find out what surprises are in store for him should he successfully tracked down the Dark Knight.

With that in mind, Superman decided to call it a night and flew back to his apartment in downtown Metropolis.

If there's one thing that Superman enjoyed from his nighttime patrols around the City of Tomorrow, it's that he gets to enjoy the beautiful night time skyline of Metropolis, coupled with the satisfaction of helping out with the public.

Even as he flew back to his apartment, though, Clark had a few other items on his mind.

The Dark Knight has certainly done his homework before coming to Metropolis, and Clark felt a little uneasy when he mentioned his testifying at Capitol Hill.

The testimony came shortly after the Battle of Metropolis ended, and with public opinion starting to turn against the Man of Steel, coupled with the fallout from the White House's flatfooted response in disaster relief to both Metropolis and New Orleans, Capitol Hill began to turn its attention towards the Man of Steel.

One of the first acts of the 109th United States Congress following its 2005 summer recess was to pass a resolution establishing a select committee, a committee tasked with investigating activities of superhumans and vigilantes.

That committee came in the form of the United States Senate Select Committee on Superhuman Activity Studies, where a total of 5 senators were assigned to the select committee with Senator Stuart "Bullhorn" Barrows, the junior Republican senator representing Ohio, as the chairman.

In the days following the formation of the Senate Superhuman Activity Studies Select Committee, Senator Barrows issued an invitation to the Man of Steel during a press briefing, inviting him over to Capitol Hill to speak in committee and defend his actions during the Battle of Metropolis.

Clark would never forget the day of his testimony on Capitol Hill. In spite of media speculation to the contrary, he showed up at Capitol Hill on the day of his scheduled testimony, where he was greeted by crowds of anti-alien protestors barricaded by police.

Ignoring the taunts from the protestors, Superman made his way into the building.

He could've flown into the committee room, but he felt that it was appropriate to walk in like a normal human being would.

Needless to say, Clark wondered if his humbled approach had made the desired affect as he prepared to answer questions fielded by the senators, especially when he was testifying with around a dozen of people that were injured or effected by the Battle of Metropolis seated in the room as witnesses.

Introductions over, Senator Barrows began to relentlessly go on the attack towards the Man of Steel like a prosecutor cross-examining a witness in court.

Barrows questioned whether or not the Battle of Metropolis could've been avoided had Superman himself didn't attract the scorn of General Zod and his army.

He also questioned whether Superman could've done more to prevent the damage in the battle and save more lives, as well as questioning Superman's motives.

"What, may I ask, is your ultimate motive in staying on Earth, in Metropolis of all places?" Clark recalled Barrows asking that particular question. "I understand that you wanted to help people, and make no mistake, Superman, I deeply respect that. I just want to be sure that your motives are as solid as your desire to help people, and that you understand the sort of dangers that comes with your powers."

For his part, Superman held his ground and simply told the committee everything he knew to be true, all while leaving out sensitive details such as those related to his secret identity as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent.

At closing remarks, Barrows continued to press Superman on whether or not he felt guilty about being responsible for the deaths of thousands during the Battle of Metropolis and putting tens of thousands more in financial ruin in the aftermath.

The senator from Ohio, being a skeptic on the scientific consensus on climate change, even went on record of accusing Superman of attracting Hurricane Katrina to struck New Orleans by unleashing his full power while engaging Zod and his army, thus painting him of being responsible for the deaths of thousands in New Orleans.

In spite of the baseless accusations from the senator, Superman continued to hold his ground and stated that if there's one thing he had learned from the Battle of Metropolis, it's that there are circumstances that are beyond his control and that the best way to deal with them is to move forward and not remained stuck in the past.

Even as Superman said those words, the words from the senator's relentless questioning continued to stick with him in the weeks that followed the testimony at Capitol Hill.

It was only after the testimony that Clark was able to figure out how Barrows came to be the way he was during the testimony.

Prior to his 2004 election, Barrows served as an Ohio State Senator for eight years, and before that, he was a city councilman serving on the Coolsville City Council.

And prior to entering politics, Barrows was Coolsville's chief of police, having had acquired a solid reputation as an investigator in his early years on the force.

Being a 25-year veteran in the Coolsville Police Department, Barrows still knows his interrogation techniques, techniques that he has since incorporated into his method of questioning while on committee speaking to witnesses.

It was also his method of questioning witnesses that earned Barrows the nickname "Bullhorn", as his style of questioning had often been compared to a bullhorn being sounded before an army of pulls charges in.

Either way, Senator Barrows' method of relentlessly questioning during the testimony on Capitol Hill left quite the impression on Clark.

* * *

It didn't take long for Superman to arrive back to his apartment in downtown Metropolis.

Under the guise of the shadows, Clark changed out of his Superman outfit and put on his pajamas.

As he changed, he looked back towards the night sky, where the full moon was shining down onto the City of Tomorrow.

Through his super hearing, Clark heard the siren of a firetruck in the distance and using his telescoptic and x-ray visions, he can see firetrucks at the scene of a fire in a midtown suburb putting out a fire.

He considered changing back into his costume and fly over to lend a hand to the firefighters, but then he thought better when the flames from the house reminded him of the destruction caused by his battle with Zod and his army a year ago.

As the memories of the cries returned to his mind, Clark sat on his bed as he tried to regain his composure.

Having an encounter with the Dark Knight of Gotham is already bad enough. He didn't need those bad memories to bother him in his sleep.

With a sigh, the Man of Steel decided to walk over to the washroom to splash himself in the face.

The splash of water helped calmed him down, and as he returned to the bedroom, walking past several photos of him with the Kents at the family farm along the way, he noticed a faint red light flashing on his cape.

Narrowing his eyes, Clark put his glasses on and reached over to his cape.

Almost immediately, he had located the source of the flashing red light.

It came from a small bat-shaped device that was attached to the cape, and his eyes narrowed further as he picked the device up and examined it.

Noting the shape of the bat and the flashing red light on it, Clark thought, _That can't be good._

He then walked back towards the balcony window and used his telescoptic vision to look towards the horizon, scanning for any rooftops that has a direct line of sight to his apartment while his instincts told him that the device must be a tracker.

Several blocks down from his apartment, Clark's instincts were proven correct when he spotted the Caped Crusader on one of the roof tops, observing him in his apartment with a pair of binoculars.

At the sight of the Batman, Clark's eyes widened in surprise.

As if to confirm to Clark that he now knew his secret, the Dark Knight put down his binoculars and gave him a thumbs up before proceeding to swing away from the roof top.

Watching the Batman swing out of sight, Clark started to frown and gritted his teeth as he crushed the tracking device in anger.

"Touche." He muttered towards the retreating figure of the Dark Knight.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


End file.
